“Planet of the Apes” - 1968

Charlton Heston hears his fate being decided by a council of apes in a scene from the film 'Planet Of The Apes', 1968. (Photo by 20th-Century Fox/Getty Images)

Up until the late 1960s, science fiction films were widely regarded as being a somewhat rudimentary genre. They had a reputation for being low budget garbage. Science fiction films tended to distance themselves from reality and could be extremely farfetched. Notwithstanding that, science fiction had a loyal fan base.